KENNESAW, Ga. — ACU saw its first loss since November 9 on Wednesday on the road against Kennesaw State, 84-78.
This game marked the first of six games the Wildcats will have until the team returns to play inside Moody Coliseum on December 14. Alongside the trip to Kennesaw State, the road trip features five other games including Southern Mississippi and Montana State at the Basketball Travelers Invitational, Omaha, New Mexico State and the No. 13 team in the nation, Baylor.
As for the matchup against the Owls, the Wildcats started the game rolling, shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from the 3-point line. ACU and KSU stayed on pace with each other in the first half, with the Wildcats gaining a slight edge due to a 6-0 swing halfway through the half led by Hunter Jack Madden, Quion Williams and Dontrez Williams. Heading into the locker room, ACU held a narrow 42-40 lead.
In the second half, the Wildcats and the Owls stayed on pace with each other. But, in this half, Kennesaw State went on a 6-0 run on its own towards the midway mark and kept a five to six point margin over ACU through the majority of the half. ACU was able to cut the lead down to two with 23 seconds left, but ACU was not able to convert allowing the Owls to take a narrow win.
The Wildcats finished the half shooting 40 percent from the field but only made one 3-pointer. Kennesaw State on the other hand, finished the second half shooting 61.1 percent from the field and 33.3 from the 3-point line, also contributing to the Owls taking the win.
Overall, ACU finished the game shooting 45.8. percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the 3-point line, but Kennesaw State Ultimately shot better with 53.7 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 percent from behind the arch. The Owls also had 33 made free throws over ACU's 19, and 35 rebounds over the 'Cats 22.
Despite the loss, ACU had a strong game defensively and in creating turnovers. The Wildcats caused the Owls to commit 19 turnovers with 13 steals, while only having seven turnovers in the game themselves.
Quion Williams led the way for ACU with a team-best 19 points and six rebounds. Williams also added two steals, one assist and one block.
Three other Wildcats finished the game scoring in double-digits. Leonardo Bettiol finished with 18 points while shooting 70 percent from the field while adding four steals and three rebounds. Hunter Jack Madden finished with 14 points and Bradyn Hubbard finished with 12 points and a team-high four assists as well as three steals.
Up next, the Wildcats head to Bozeman, Montana for the Basketball Travelers Invitational. The tournament for the Wildcats will begin on Monday, November 25 as the team takes on Southern Mississippi, followed by playing tournament host, Montana State on Nov. 26.
Both games on both days are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., with both games airing live on 101.7 FM, The Patriot, and only the game against Montana State airing on ESPN+. If fans can't watch the game in person, listen to or stream it, fans can follow the game on X, Facebook, Instagram or acusports.com.
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